Frequently asked questions
Dedicated hosting can be a very rewarding investment for your company. However, dedicated hosting can be a little confusing for the uninitiated. As a result, you’ll probably have a lot of questions about what dedicated hosting actually entails.
Dedicated Servers [Questions 4]

What is dedicated server hosting?

Dedicated server hosting is simply renting an entire web server from a dedicated web hosting provider. The hard disk storage space is usually of high capacity and the technical support quite thorough. The dedicated hosting option allows you the ability to maintain a large website while not having to be concerned about employing the staff to support it.


Why should I choose dedicated server hosting?

Dedicated server hosting offers you the opportunity to rent an entire server with on-location technical support. You can custommize the server as you want. You should select a dedicated server hosting if your web site requires customized options or your web site need dedicated rerource due to the high amount of traffic.


Why shouldn't I choose dedicated server hosting?

Dedicated server hosting is powerful, yet expensive. If your sites don't require a huge resourse, you shouldn't.


What are the advantages of Dedicated Server Hosting?

Dedicated hosting offers many enticing features such as:
- Do not have to purchase own equipment
- Do not have to update/maintain equipment
- Can purchase a package based on own needs for Hard Disk Space and Data Transfer Allowance
- If an upgrade is needed, must upgrade on the dedicated server from the same Web Host Provider
- The servers are as fast, powerful and high-capacity as you purchase
- Scalability. Upgrading your server or adding a new server is easier and more cost effective. Upgrades can occur less than 24 hours after submitting a work order to the service provider. Upgrades are cheaper too, because you only pay monthly rental fees on the new hardware, not the entire capital costs. You simply pay the difference between the present system package and the new system package, for both the startup and the monthly fee.


What are your main concerns when searching for a dedicated hosting provider?

MAIN CONCERNS:
- Having a large enough website to justify the cost
- The cost
- Security of Data and equipment
- High Bandwidth
- Trust in the knowledge and integrity of the web hosting provider
- Technical support from the web hosting provider
- Speed and Uptime


What is the difference between dedicated server and managed hosting?

A dedicated server is a server provided by a web host for you to rent. Managed hosting is similar but also comes with serviecs from a provider to help you manage the server.


What is the difference between a dedicated server and colocation?

- A Dedicated Server is a server provided by a web host for you to rent. You have remote access to the server and you can customize the server to your own needs. The server is owned by the web host and you don't have physical access to the server.
- Colocation means you store your own server at a facility of a colocation provider. A colocation provider provides an internet connection to your server and allows you physical access to your own server when you need it.

Reseller Hosting [Questions 7]

How much money can be made by being a reseller?

There are no limits to the earning potential through a reseller hosting account. Through a reseller hosting package you can create your own packages comprising of the prices that you would like to charge. You also have the option of reselling the hosting packages provided by us. By being a reseller, you get the ability to customize your packages for higher flexibility and better profit margins.


Will my client’s control panel show a LIGHTCLOUD logo?

We understand the importance of keeping LIGHTCLOUD transparent from your business and there is no exception to the control panel used by your client as well. By default, the control panel provided to your client will be ‘non branded’, this means there will be no reference to LIGHTCLOUD or your company. As a reseller you have the authority to modify your client’s control panel to be branded with your company name or logo; that’s completely your call!


Can I create accounts in real time through the reseller hosting package?

Yes it is possible to create client accounts in real time through your reseller control panel, there will be no intervention from us in these regards.


How is technical support managed?

For us, you will be the first point of contact even for your clients. In case you need any technical assistance, you can directly contact our technical support department. Once you raise a ticket for any issue, you will be provided with assistance within 30 minutes. You can be rest assured of getting the most appropriate solution from us.


How much time is required to set up a reseller hosting account?

Once you sign up for the package and make the payment, your account will be activated instantly.


Will I be charged with a fee for upgrading my reseller hosting package?

As a reseller, you can upgrade to a bigger reseller hosting package in case required. In order to upgrade to the next higher package, we charge the difference amount.


Will my client’s website have the same features and control panel as I have?

You are in complete control of the attributes to which your clients have access to. If required you can provide the client with a customized control panel as well. You can determine the website features and applications that your clients can access. You can have a look at the list of features and add-ons provided with our reseller hosting packages.

Shared Hosting [Questions 4]

In whose name you register domains?

All domains registered with us are under the name of the clients.


Why is my domain not working?

If you registered your domain with us recently, then maybe the DNS are not propagated completely. The registered domain normally becomes available after 24 hours after the registration. If you have registered the domain with other registrar, you will need to change the DNS with the one’s provided by us and wait for it to get fully propagate. DNS propagation usually takes 12-24 hours.


Can you help me to migrate my current website from existing web hosting provider?

Yes, if you decide to move your website to LIGHTCLOUD, just make sure you have WHM/cPanel, Plesk or DotNetPanel control panel with your existing web host, so that we can migrate your site on our servers.


What is the maximum file size I can upload to your server?

The default maximum file size you can upload on the server is 2MB. Uploading the file size more than 2 MB may cause performance issues.

SSL Certificates [Questions 4]

What is an SSL Certificate?

An SSL certificate is a bit of code on your web server that provides security for online communications. When a web browser contacts your secured website, the SSL certificate enables an encrypted connection. It’s kind of like sealing a letter in an envelope before sending it through the mail.
SSL certificates also inspire trust because each SSL certificate contains identification information. When you request an SSL certificate, a third party (such as Comodo) verifies your organization’s information and issues a unique certificate to you with that information. This is known as the authentication process.


Why does my website need an SSL Certificate?

SSL certificates keep online interactions private even though they travel across the public Internet, and they help customers gain the confidence to provide personal information on your website. If you ask users of your website to sign in, enter personal data such as credit card numbers, or view confidential information such as health benefits or financial accounts, you need to keep the data private.


What is encryption and why are there different levels?

Encryption is a mathematical process of coding and decoding information. The number of bits (40-bit, 56-bit, 128-bit, 256-bit) tells you the size of the key. Like a longer password, a larger key has more possible combinations. In fact, 128-bit encryption is one trillion times stronger than 40-bit encryption. When an encrypted session is established, the strength is determined by the capability of the web browser, SSL certificate, web server, and client computer operating system.


What is a certificate authority?

An SSL certificate serves as a credential in the online world. Each SSL certificate uniquely identifies a specific domain (such as comodo.com) and a web server. Trust of a credential depends on confidence in the organization that issued it. Certificate authorities have a variety of methods to verify information provided by individuals or organizations. Established certificate authorities, such as Thawte, are well known and trusted by browser vendors. Browsers extend that trust to digital certificates that are verified by Comodo.

Cloud VPS [Questions 6]

What is VPS Hosting?

Virtual Private Servers (also called “Virtual Dedicated Servers”) are servers which do not interface directly with the hardware which they are running on and cannot interface directly with eachother. The server is as virtual as it is independent of actual hardware and private in the sense that other VPS servers on the node cannot interact with its file system or processes.
Instead of allowing the kernel or operating system to interface directly with hardware components, virtualization software intercepts requests, queues them, and manages their interpretation.


Do I Need VPS Hosting?

Whether you have outgrown shared hosting or are looking for an affordable alternative to dedicated server hosting, there is a good chance that a virtual private server will fit your needs and your budget better than any other hosting solution. For example, if you have a site which was previously hosted on a shared server, your site has become more and more popular with more disk space and bandwidth required that have outgrown the shared hosting, say if your disk space requirement is over 10GB and monthly data transfer is over 500GB, just as a example.
Flexibility is also enjoyed with VPS hosting. As it is your virtual server, you can easily select the OS and software that you wish to run. You will further gain root access to the account that permits you to enjoy control over the server.
In case you face problems with the server, you can further reboot the server yourself from control panel. There is indeed no requirement to submit the support ticket to tackle the request.


Which Web Hosting Reseller Control Panels are Available?

WHM / cPanel and DirectAdmin are two of the best VPS hosting reseller control panels. The reseller and hosting Control Panel tools can be integrated with billing and support software such as WHMCS, AWBS or ClientExec, which allows you to create different packages, to charge your clients directly and to offer a 24/7 ticket support service.


What kind of VPS servers are available?

Hosting VPS servers are mainly offered in two types, Managed and unmanaged VPS servers. Managed vps server means the server updates, security and support etc are handled by hosting support team. The term unmanaged are vary according to the actual offer from service provider. Normally, it comes with merely a basic ssh connection to VPS server, without a control panel or other software pre-installed.


Is VPS secure?

Yes, each VPS server hosting account has its isolated or dedicated RAM, CPU and all server resources. Compared to a shared hosting, your data and processes are more secure in its own virtual environment.


Which VPS Hosting Platforms are Available?

Popular VPS software to set up and manage VPS servers include: Xen, OpenVZ, VMware, Virtuozzo, and KVM.